I love this macaroni salad recipe with fresh ripe cherry tomatoes and green onions, but if you have kids (like mine) who squawk at those ingredients, you can skip them!

What goes in macaroni salad

Elbow macaroni – Technically you can use any type of pasta, but traditionally macaroni salad calls for elbow macaroni. The nice thing about elbow macaroni is that it has all those nooks and crannies to hide the dressing and make every bite flavorful.

Mayonnaise– Mayonnaise is the base so your macaroni salad is super creamy and delicious. Please do not substitute Miracle Whip, it is not the same!

Dijon mustard – This adds a great tang and high note, also a little more creaminess.

Crumbled bacon – Salty, smoked, and adds perfect texture!

Cherry tomatoes – I love the sweetness of tomatoes for this macaroni salad, but my kids are super anti-tomato, so if I’m making it with them in mind, I’ll skip the tomatoes. But it makes me sad.

Lemon juice – Brightens the whole thing up!

Garlic salt– I’m almost sure that garlic salt is good on everything. Literally everything.

Can you freeze macaroni salad?

Do not freeze macaroni salad. Freezing macaroni salad will make the pasta mushy and unappealing in texture. The nice thing about macaroni salad is that it’s easy to make and comes together quickly, so there’s really no good reason to freeze it.